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Family Adventures on a budget

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About Me....

Hi! I'm Melissa Jean.... AKA Savvy Single Mama

I’m a mother of 4, from New York, living in Florida for the past 20 years! I am an Early Childhood Specialist. I currently work as a contractor for the Federal Government partnering with Head Start bringing Training and Technical Assistance to the Region. I’ve been a teacher for the Brevard County school district for many years, mostly in Pre-K, and worked as an Instructional Coach. I LOVE what I do in my work. Early Childhood and Travel go together so well because when we provide our children with new experiences, we are building connectors in their brain. I have a Master's degree in Education Leadership, Bachelor's in Early Childhood, and AS in Fine Art. I have been able to work in schools my own children attended and have been a part of their educations’. It is important to me to be my children’s biggest educator. I believe by giving access to the real world around us I can help them connect to natural motivation and curiosity to expand their own learning.

I don't use the tern single as a status, which can have a derogative snide attached, but to emphasize if I can make all this happen on a teacher's salary with only one income for a long period of time, I think anyone can. Most parents just want more quality time with their children. I am sharing what has worked for me.  I am not doing anything outside the realm of possibility I just hope to use my experiences to make it easier for other families. Planning can be tedious, not planning can be costly (on both the time and financial side of an adventure!)

As a single mama, it is a challenge to enjoy my family at home. Busy? That's an understatement. There is always a sport to attend, practice to get to, house to clean, something to do…. the list never ends. I love this list, and yet I find we get the best quality family time by getting OUT! And enjoying the places around us. My budget is always limited. Our day trips are often planned and executed with a lot of thought infused. I have planned many itineraries and shared with friends and colleagues to help them save money while making great memories. And so this blog started to make sharing easier. As my kids get older it's harder to make the magic happen. What I do find is we enjoy each other's company, and we are a very different tribe, that all get one another.  

While reading you will see my children mentioned pretty regularly. Westley is my oldest, now 30. Jasmyn is my daughter, 28 and a has her own daughters! Joshua is 22 and attends college at Florida Tech. Darrien is 20, attending Eastern. They help me plan our trips often by making suggestions, and we survey what's next on our wish list. We currently are on back log of trips waiting to be lived. Life has gotten busy!! I am a Grandma now! My sweet Nasali is three, and our newest Sarai is an infant, I am revisiting many of our favorites introducing the best places to my girls!

 

When we rate places, it's after a full blown family conversation. We all travel well together as we've been doing this for many years now. We discuss bests and worsts and we are all generally on the same page with our rating scale, but I tell you this so you know how much thought goes into these pages. I appreciate how my kids humor my whims and wishes, by waking up early and keeping to a schedule. And they appreciate my being flexible when they request their own wishes. I am happy you are a part of the story and appreciate feedback. PLEASE share your adventures and experiences as your favorite family travels as well. I started a Facebook page, Adventure Abundance to make connecting easier. Please comment and feel free to share!

Savvy mama and grandma
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Melissa Jean

Announcing new retreats soon! 

Palm Bay Fl, 32909

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